What Type of Fencing Is Needed for Sheep?

Proper fencing keeps sheep well-penned and safe from harm.

Proper sheep fencing provides for better animal control. Sheep stay in the areas which you designate, allowing for improved parasite control and better pasture rotation. As well, diet can be controlled by limiting the area in which sheep can feed. Fencing sheep also prevents predation by wolves and coyotes. All common types of sheep fencing use wire, which may be electrical and nonelectrical.

Woven

Woven fences feature interwoven metal wire. The spacing between woven fence grills for sheep comes in 2-by-6-inch, 6-by-6-inch and 6-by-12-inch sizes. The 2-by-6-inch spaced woven wire is considered ideal, because sheep are not able to trap their hooves or heads in the spacing. A 6-by-12-inch spacing allows sheep to stick their heads through the panels without getting caught. A 6-by-6-inch spacing can be dangerous for sheep because their heads can become trapped.

Barbed-Wire Fences

Barbed-wire fencing is an inexpensive choice for sheep fencing but requires more work to install. Barbed-wire fencing features metal tines every 6 inches which discourage sheep from going through the fence. For sheep, barbed wire should be installed as low as 2 inches from the ground with 8-inch spacing between each row of wires.

High Tensile Wire

Unlike barbed wire, smooth high-tensile wire does not feature any barbs. Sheep are discouraged from going through the fence by the 250 lbs. of tension applied to each wire strand. When used to pen sheep, smooth high-tensile wire prevents injury to the animals while having a longer life than barbed wire. This type of fencing requires fewer fence posts and is less expensive than woven and barbed wire.

Electric

Electric sheep fencing uses an electrical box which sends a current through steel fence wires. The electrical shock sent through the fence will discourage sheep from escaping their enclosure. With electric sheep fencing, wires attach to fence posts through the means of plastic clips. Electric woven wire fences feature a lower gauge (thickness) than regular woven wire. Because regular electrical wire can snap due to its low-tensile strength, many sheep farmers prefer to electrify a few strands of smooth high-tensile wire to discourage sheep from touching the fence.

Temporary

For hobbyists raising one or two sheep, a sophisticated fence setup may be overkill. Poly-Wire is a polyurethane rope that comes with small strands of wire embedded in the middle. Poly-wire is less durable than heavier grades of electrical wire, requiring six to nine charged rows to contain sheep. Ultraviolet light degrades polyurethane, which will damage the integrity of the fence within two to three years.

References

• University of Illinois Extension: Planning Sheep and Goat Fencing
• University of Florida Extension: Construction of High-Tensile Wire Fences

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Sheep 101: Fencing